hans,<p>The fact that you asked these questions to the board means to me that you are "salvageable." We welcome outside perspectives and someone who has a fine Japanese automobile would at least keep us honest! We wouldn't be able to make overgeneralizations about cars that are from Japan (as I have been guilty of more times than I would want to admit to).<p>There have been many of us on this board who have had rocky starts; myself and Mr. ///M3 to name a few. There have been others as well. I think Steve S. and I got into it a while back, but we straightened out. Now, I routinely tease Steve about being 18 valves shy (Steve has a 96 or 97 2.8 12V I believe), but he tolerates it (I think). <p>Given that every person on this board has said some things that they're not proud of, I for one will cut you some slack.<p>Here's what I suggest you do:<p>Don't post for a week or so and most folks will forget who you are. Just lurk and watch how other guys post. We'll be on to other things by next week. Come back with a different screen name and no one will even bat an eye.<p>The other tact you could take would be to post an apology to the board members you may have offended. Chris, Mr. ///M3, used this approach and it has seemed to work well for him. Maybe he could give you some feedback on his experience<p>Me, I never apologized to the board......preferring to keep those matters personal. I simply e-mailed the guys I was having a conflict with (at that time we posted our addresses more).<p>Myself, I think you could be a valuable resource to our board. I like your fire. We just need to have you point it in the right direction! :-)<p>Rick (Dr. Richard J. Pitts, Licensed Psychologist)<br>